Source: The College Investor
What Is A Negative SAI (Student Aid Index)?
This question is about the student aid index.
A zero or negative SAI indicates a student with the most relative need for financial aid. The lowest SAI possible is -$1,500.
A student with a -$1,500 SAI has less capacity to pay (and therefore needs more aid) than a student with an SAI of -$750 or 0 or $750.
A negative SAI does not mean that a student will qualify for more money than the cost of attendance. Total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance. And there is no guarantee that a college will offer financial aid up to the amount for which a student is eligible. The SAI is purely a measure of need, not the actual cost a student will pay when all is said and done.
Is It Better To Have A High Or Low Student Aid Index (SAI)?
A student’s SAI indicates their relative need for financial aid.
A low SAI indicates a student with less capacity to pay and therefore more financial need. It is possible to have a zero or a negative SAI as low as -$1,500. On a relative scale, students with greater financial need are identified as their SAI approaches -$1,500, with -$1,500 indicating the students with the greatest financial need. These students are eligible for the most aid including maximum Pell grants.
Likewise, on a relative scale, students with SAIs that are greater than $0 are identified as those needing less financial aid given their greater personal or family resources to pay the college bill.
Many colleges use the SAI as a proxy for the amount they expect a student to pay for college. As such, a "good SAI" is typically lower.
How To Know Your SAI Score?
You will find your SAI score once you complete the FAFSA. It will be located on the "Eligibility Overview" tab of the MyAid portal for the specific FAFSA year.
However, since the FAFSA will not be live until December 1, many families want to know an estimate of their SAI. You can get an estimate of your SAI by checking our SAI Chart, or using the SAI Calculator below.
This SAI calculator has been updated for the 2025 - 2026 FAFSA:
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John Hupalo is the founder of MyCollegeCorner.com and Invite Education. His career focus is student loans and helping families smartly pay for college. In addition to creating state-based private loan programs, he served as Chief Financial Officer for a NYSE student loan company. He is a contributor to the Prudent Money Radio program, has been a guest on Bloomberg Day Break and The Street, and has been in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Fiscal Times, The Hill, and U.S. News and World Report, among others.
Editor: Robert Farrington